Ghost of a Gamble (Granny Apples Mystery) (16 page)

O
NCE
again Quinn pulled into valet parking at the Venetian and handed off the keys to the SUV to an attendant. And once again, Quinn walked Emma through the noisy lobby and casino toward the elevators leading to the tower that housed her suite.

In addition to being exhausted, Emma felt a bad headache coming on, made worse by the assault of slot machines, shouts of gamblers, and blaring music as they threaded their way toward the elevators. All Emma wanted was a hot bath, some simple food, and undisturbed sleep. She was about to ask Quinn if he’d mind waiting until breakfast to go over the information they’d gathered when a static flash nearby caught her eye. It wasn’t bright or garish, but soft like a night-light being switched off and on just in front of her. No one else seemed to notice. She stopped in her tracks and stared straight ahead.

“What is it, Emma?” asked Quinn.

“I thought I saw something.” She stayed rooted, while hotel and casino patrons went around them like a diversion in the road. Emma kept alert and saw the soft flicker again, followed by a hazy outline, but couldn’t discern its identity.

“It’s a spirit,” she whispered to Quinn. “But it didn’t stay. I’m not sure who it is.” She started moving forward again. Quinn followed, keeping close to her.

They were in the elevator going up when another hazy flicker presented itself. Emma stiffened and Quinn noticed, but they weren’t alone so Emma didn’t speak. The entity soon disappeared without fully materializing. Emma’s arms broke out in goose bumps. In silence, she showed them to Quinn.

When they reached her floor, they got out and started down the hall, taking it slow in case the ghost tried to appear again. She slipped her key card into the lock and opened the door to her suite. Inside, the lights were on and the TV was running. Without going in, she looked at Quinn, who understood her concern. He signaled for her to wait. He slipped into the suite just as the door to the bathroom opened and Phil Bowers came out wiping his face with a towel. The two men shouted in surprise while Emma gave off a short yelp. For several seconds the three of them stared at one another, until Emma entered the suite and closed the door behind her.

Phil was the first to speak. “Well, isn’t this cozy?” He eyed the two of them, his lips a tight line of anger.

“What are you doing here, Phil?” Emma asked.

“I told you last night I would come. Obviously, you forgot.”

Emma brushed past the two men and walked deeper into the suite. Locating the remote, she turned off the TV. After dropping her bag onto the coffee table, she plopped down on the large sofa, totally worn out. “And I told you it wasn’t necessary.”

“And I thought it was, considering how we left things and your refusal to answer my calls or texts.”

Quinn and Phil followed Emma into the living room area. Quinn took a seat at the small table, stretching out his long legs in front of him. Phil remained standing and stared at him. “And now I can see why.”

“Hey, Phil,” said Quinn, “back off. It’s not what you think. I’m helping Emma. That’s it.” He rubbed a hand over his face, almost as tired as Emma. “And how did you get in here anyway?”

Phil picked up a card key from the credenza and waved it at Quinn. “Emma usually lists me on her hotel reservations just in case I decide to join her. And if she hadn’t, I’d have been camped in front of that door waiting.” He turned to Emma. “Emma, we have things to discuss.” He shot a harsh look at Quinn. “In private.”

But Emma wasn’t listening. She was focused on a faint light just to the right of where Quinn was sitting. The men grew quiet, both sensing that she was seeing something they could not. The spirit moved closer, fading in and out, hesitant and unsure.

“Lenny, is that you?” The hazy light flickered and retreated to the window. “Please stay,” Emma coaxed. “These men are here to help you, just like I am. We need you to get Dolly back safe. It’s very important.”

Granny materialized next to Emma and took in the three of them. She crossed her arms in disapproval. “This is an interesting little party.”

“
Sh
, Granny,” said Emma. “There’s a spirit over by the window. It might be Lenny, but I’m not sure. Can you tell?”

Putting aside his anger, Phil moved over to the table and took a seat near Quinn, out of the way. Both men watched and waited.

The light stabilized and moved forward again but didn’t become clear.

“I don’t know who that is,” answered Granny. “But it’s not Lenny. He’s right here. You told me to find him and I did. I think I also remember the name of that pizza place and there’s something else that’s a bit weird.”

Emma glanced over her left shoulder toward Granny and saw the hazy outline of Lenny Speidel hovering nearby. She turned her attention back to the unknown ghost. “Nemo, is that you?” Emma’s voice changed from coaxing to stern. “If it is, quit playing games.”

In response, the light retreated like a frightened kitten.

“No, don’t go,” Emma told it, getting to her feet. “Please don’t go.”

The apparition grew stronger but didn’t come near.

“Maybe it’s Bert,” suggested Quinn in a whisper.

Emma rubbed her arms. She had goose bumps again and it wasn’t just because of the cold air in the room. “You came here for a reason,” Emma said to the hazy light. “Tell me why you came. Let me help.”

Slowly the flickering light took shape and features began to emerge. It was a woman with long hair. Emma slapped a hand over her mouth to squelch the scream threatening to rise up like bile. She dropped down again onto the sofa and stared at the apparition in horror. Both Phil and Quinn jumped to her assistance, but when he saw Phil go to Emma’s side, Quinn backed off and took his seat again.

“What is it, Emma?” asked Phil. He put an arm around her and brought her close.

“Who is it?” asked Quinn. He looked in the same direction as Emma.

“I don’t know yet,” she stammered. “But it could be Laura Crawford.”

“The fortune-teller from Fremont Street?” asked Quinn.

Emma nodded as she fought back tears. “If it is, it means she’s dead.”

“That’s not Laura,” Granny said, “unless she died in the last couple of minutes.” In fits and starts the spirit started materializing. “That’s Madeline, Dolly’s BFF.”

Emma stared at Granny. “Are you sure?”

“Sure I’m sure. She’s been visiting Dolly.”

Like a runaway roller coaster, Emma’s emotions went from horrified to shocked to exasperated in record time. “You never told me that!”

Granny edged away from Emma. “Oops. My bad.”

As Emma watched the apparition, it began to come more into focus, showing not a young woman, but an older one, thick in build. She had long hair, but not as long and sleek as Laura’s. Emma wanted to scream at Granny for not telling her about Madeline, but she was so relieved at not seeing the ghost of Laura Crawford, she let it slide.

While Madeline materialized, Emma asked Granny, “Anything else you haven’t told us that might be important?”

“No need to get all uppity with me,” barked Granny. “You’re not the only one who’s tired and worried, ya know.”

“What’s going on?” asked Quinn.

It was Phil who answered him. “I think Granny and Emma are having a little tiff. It happens a lot. Just roll with it.”

Emma looked at the two men. “This new ghost is Madeline Kurtz, Dolly’s friend who recently died. Granny is here with Lenny. Apparently, Madeline has been visiting Dolly wherever she’s being held and”—she shot a look at Granny—“Granny forgot to tell us.”

“I’ve been busy trying to figure out where Dolly is,” Granny snapped. “Or is that not important to you anymore?”

Emma took several deep breaths. “You want some water?” Phil asked her. “Or something from the minibar?”

“Water, please,” she answered, “Trust me, I’ll be hitting the minibar later.”

Quinn got up and retrieved a bottle of water that stood with several others on the credenza. He twisted the cap off. “You want me to get some ice for this?”

Emma shook her head and held out her hand for the water. She took several gulps from the bottle.

Lenny floated closer and watched with interest. “Who’s the bald guy?” he asked Granny. “He wasn’t here before, was he?”

“That’s Phil, Emma’s boyfriend,” she answered.

“I thought the red-haired guy was her boyfriend.”

“Nah, he’s just a wannabe.”

Emma snapped her head around and glared at both ghosts, who backed away with caution. “Seems Emma’s a bit testy,” Granny explained to Lenny. “She always gets that way when her blood sugar’s low. She’s a vegetarian. I keep telling her she needs to eat meat.”

Emma’s shoulders sagged in resignation.

Quinn leaned down to Phil and whispered. “I’d kill to know what’s going down right now.”

“Whatever it is,” whispered Phil back, “I guarantee it’s entertaining, or at least it would be to us.”

Emma put the water bottle down on the table with a sound thud and stood up. She took a few cautious steps toward the ghost of Madeline Kurtz. “Welcome, Madeline. I’m Emma Whitecastle, a good friend of Milo Ravenscroft’s. This is Phil Bowers and that’s Quinn Keenan. They are friends of mine and cannot see or hear you.”

Madeline looked the men over and nodded hello to them anyway.

“I am very sorry about your passing,” Emma added. “Milo is with your family right now.”

Madeline gave Emma a tenuous smile. “Not good timing for my heart to give out. Not with Dolly needing me.” Madeline looked over at Granny and Lenny with surprise. “Is that you, Lenny? After all these years?”

“Yes, Mad, it’s me. How’s Doll?”

“Not too bad. Sleeping like a baby right now.”

“A drugged baby,” Granny added.

“Madeline,” Emma asked, “do you have any idea where they’re holding Dolly?”

Madeline shook her head. “No, it’s just out in the desert somewhere. Nothing looked familiar, but I’m still getting the hang of this being dead thing. Sometimes I’m confused. Other times I feel almost normal.”

“But I have a clue.” Granny raised her hand. “That’s one of the things I came to tell ya. Or aren’t you interested anymore?”

Emma turned to Granny, “Of course I’m interested. Tell me what you found out.”

“It’s not so much what I found out as what I remember,” answered the ghost. “The pizza place, I think it was called B&B.”

“Are you sure?”

Granny screwed up her face. “Not a hundred percent, but close enough for horseshoes.”

Emma turned to the men. Phil was still on the sofa. Quinn was leaning against the credenza. “Will one of you fire up my iPad. It’s in my bag. Look up B&B Pizza.”

Quinn grabbed Emma’s bag from the table and took out her iPad.

“And while you’re at it,” Emma added, “the charger is on the desk. Plug it in somewhere in case we need it fully charged later.”

Quinn got the charger and returned to the table. He plugged everything in, sat down, and got to work.

Phil asked, “What can I do?”

“Just sit tight,” she told him. She hesitated, then added in a low voice, “And I am very glad you’re here, but we do need to talk.” They exchanged a sad smile.

“Enough of the mushy stuff,” snapped Granny. “You can moon over each other later, when Dolly’s safe.”

“Who knew,” Quinn said without looking up from the computer, “that so many pizza joints would be named B&B. But so far none are in Nevada.”

Phil got up and went to look over Quinn’s shoulder. “Try going on Yelp. If it’s a small place, it might not have a website but might have reviews.”

“Good idea.”

“And there’s something else,” added Granny. “I think Laura was trying to tell me something.”

Emma gave Granny her full attention. “But I thought you said Laura was gone.”

“She was earlier, but just before we popped in here, the sloppy guy brought her back to the house. They fed her some pizza, then locked her in her room. I went in to look after her. She was crying, but I know she knew a spirit was in the room with her.”

“What did she say, Granny?” Emma moved closed. “Please try to remember everything.”

Granny furrowed her brows. “She called me
friendly spirit
, like she did in her wagon, and said she knew I was there. She kept asking me for help.”

“Were you able to communicate with her?”

“A little. I told her who I was. It took several tries before she heard me but once she remembered, she stopped crying and said, ‘Emma. Get Emma.’ Then she started crying again and said, ‘They’re going to kill us.’”

Emma put her face in her hands and squeezed with frustration. “We have to help her and Dolly.” When she looked up, her face was red. “Anything else?

“I kept asking her where we were, but she didn’t seem to know. But she kept saying something over and over:
Ironwood
.”

“Look to see if there’s an Ironwood anywhere nearby,” Emma shot over her shoulder to Quinn and Phil.

While the men researched, Emma turned her attention to Lenny. “Is Nemo after the money you stole from the Lucky Buck Casino? Or is there something else we don’t know about?”

“It’s the money, but I’m not going to give it to him.” Lenny stuck out his chin.